Radar could stop bats flying into wind turbines

Radar could be used to reduce the number of bats being killed by wind turbines, according to new research.

Some bat species are at risk of becoming endangered because so many are flying into the turbine blades. Bat deaths at wind farms currently exceed those of birds.

But scientists have found the winged creatures are repelled by the electro-magnetic radiation emitted from radar installations.

They believe fitting radar systems to wind turbines could prevent the bats from flying too close to their rotors.

The team from Aberdeen University studied the behaviour of bats at various distances from 10 radar installations across Scotland last summer. They found that the creatures did not forage in areas where high levels of radiation were present.

Professor Paul Racey, of Aberdeen University's school of biological sciences, said: "We found that the bats were deterred by the electromagnetic radiation emitted from radar installations.

"This raises the possibility that radar could be used to deter bats from approaching wind turbines.

So far this would appear to be the only real possibility of preventing bats colliding with turbine blades worldwide."

The £20,000 study was funded by Mammals Trust UK and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).